


Chocolate Cupcakes

by BasicallySnakespere



Series: Birthdays [1]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Deceit | Janus Sanders-centric, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, aanngnggst, on Virgils birthday, sue me, virgil's birthday, yes I did write janus angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:21:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28205256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BasicallySnakespere/pseuds/BasicallySnakespere
Summary: It's Virgil's Birthday, but he's not there to celebrate with the Dark Sides anymore.Janus isn't taking it well.
Series: Birthdays [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2103306
Comments: 19
Kudos: 44





	Chocolate Cupcakes

Today was Virgil’s birthday, his third one since leaving. Remus wasn’t going to leave his room for anything short of Virgil himself, which left Janus alone in the Dark Mindscape. Sure, he was normally alone for most of the time if he wasn’t being tormented by Remus, or up working with the Light Sides in one form or another, but it felt different today. The silence carried a weight that Janus wasn’t sure he could carry alone once again.

So he tried to keep busy on this day each year, filling his time with mindless things he hardly ever did, like crochet or suduko, making sure to make time to bake cupcakes like he had every year the past 13 years, even without Virgil there to ask. But after the cupcakes were pulled out of the oven, he found that he had run out of distractions, and he could feel the silence closing in, the loneliness he’d held at bay rearing up its ugly head.

So he did what he always did when things got this bad, and let himself fall into his snake form, slithering up to the Mindscape. He went unnoticed in the vents, and it was easy enough to spy on the Light Sides while he was hidden away. The constant noise and chatter of the others was enough to dispel the crushing feeling in Janus’s chest, till he remembered just why he had felt so awful.

Today was Virgil’s birthday, and instead of being down there, celebrating with Janus and Remus, he was up here, with his new family, grinning brightly.

Janus couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe. Because there, right there, was Virgil. Virgil, who looked so happy, and so alive, a lightness to his eyes that Janus hadn’t ever seen on the other side. He looked happy.

Janus watched as they opened presents, and played games, and eventually, watched as Patton brought out a cake, covered in smooth white frosting, with purple lettering spelling out “HAPPY BIRTHDAY VIRGIL” in curling letters.

Janus wanted to hiss, wanted to crawl out of the vents and screech at them, didn’t they know that Virgil preferred cupcakes because you didn’t have to use a knife to cut them, and they were easier to hide away in a pocket or sleeve? But Virgil only smiled wider at the cake, and took a deep breath, blowing out all the candles.

“I can’t believe you remembered, this cake is my favorite!” No, Janus’s cake was his favorite. That’s why he still made them every year, sneaking up to leave a single cupcake outside Virgil’s door, not willing to let go of one of his last ties to Virgil, to how things used to be.

Janus had seen enough, he’d rather deal with the crushing silence than sit here and watch Virgil celebrate with his new family, clearly happier than he’d ever been celebrating with Janus and Remus.

He made his way back to the Dark Mindscape numbly, shifting back to a human with tears in his eyes. He passed the kitchen and stopped, looking. Because there, sitting on the counter, one of the cupcakes had a single lit candle in it. 

Janus walked over, and put out the candle. Virgil was happier now that he wasn’t here, and it was time that he accepted that and moved on. That both of them did. 

He tossed out the cupcakes, and for good measure, got rid of the pack of purple birthday candles. There was no point in making them anymore, now Virgil had Patton to make him cakes.

There was no cupcake waiting outside Virgil’s door that year. Not that Virgil would care anyway.  
~~~~~~

A week later, he awoke to gentle knocking on his door. He answered, and raised an eyebrow when he saw Patton there.

“Do you need ssssssomething? I wassn’t sssleeping.”

Patton shifted back and forth clearly uncomfortable. 

“Just wanted to check up on you! Vir- I mean we were all getting a little worried, we haven’t seen you in a bit!”

“Well, as you can see, I am not fine, and I haven’t been busy these past days.” Patton looked doubtful but nodded anyway.

“O-okay, I’ll just leave you be then, bye De- Janus!” Patton left, clearly unnerved by the Dark Mindscape, and Janus really couldn’t blame him.

He went back to sleep, already feeling exhausted.

~~~~~~

“Well? How did he look?” Virgil demanded as soon as Patton got back.

“I don’t know what you wanted me to say, he looked just fine! A little tired, but I did wake him up.”

Roman leaned over from where he was sitting at the table, watching Virgil bounce his knee anxiously.

“Since when are you so invested in fibber-on-the-roof’s well being anyway? Don’t you hate him?” Virgil bit his lip, then glared back up at Roman.

“Yeah, I do, but something just seemed, I don’t know, off.” He huffed, throwing up his hood. “You know what, just forget I ever said anything about it.” Roman opened his mouth and looked like he was about to say something, but apparently changed his mind, going back to his breakfast.

What was Virgil supposed to say? That he had gotten concerned when he hadn’t found a cupcake outside his door on his birthday? He hadn’t wanted to celebrate with the Dark Sides anyway, and he had a wonderful cake made by Patton, so why did he care so much about some dumb cupcake?

Why did he care so much that Janus had apparently decided it wasn’t worth it to keep making them? It wasn’t like Virgil was making any effort to rekindle their relationship. He didn’t care about the missing cupcake, he really didn’t, just like he didn’t care about Deceit anymore, didn’t care that his once-a-family hated him. He didn’t.

If Janus had been there, would he have called Virgil out on his lies?

But Janus wasn’t there, so Virgil just slunk away to his room, where he curled up and tried to forget the shadowy memories still stubbornly clinging to his mind of scales and smiles, of purple birthday candles and chocolate cupcakes, of two voices, one smooth and controlled, the other high and noisy, singing “Happy Birthday” in the darkest corners of Thomas’s mind. 

He’d never have those birthdays again, it would be better for both of them if they just moved on.

He never did ask for chocolate cupcakes again.

~~~~~~~~~~~


End file.
